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Hulu has given a straight-to-series order for drama The Handmaid’s Tale from MGM Television based on Margaret Atwood’s bestselling novel, with Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake) attached to star.

Golden Globe winner Moss will play Offred, a Handmaid trying to survive in the male-dominated totalitarian regime of Gilead. Enslaved by a society that values only her fertility, Offred must find a way to survive in a world of oppression and swift, cruel punishments.

Adapted from Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the dystopian Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly part of the United States. Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted religious fundamentalism that treats women as property of the state. As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, one of the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world. In this terrifying society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred navigates between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead — all with one goal: to survive and find the daughter that was taken from her.

The Handmaid’s Tale is scheduled to go into production later this year.

Edited February 6, 2017 by AncalagonTheBlack

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Cannot like Atwood as much as I'd like to. Partly how she is I person...not even her fault, really, just that her atonal voice and diction push my buttons (reminds me of certain family members), and she seems pretentious and self-important even though her actual comments/stances are ones I entirely agree with at 1 step removed...and her earlier works are kind of monolithic and continue to bludgeon you to porridge death long after you grasp her thesis, much like the other Canadian Margaret.

But...as I said, I know it's a lot on me. I've been in a room with her listening to her talk and thinking she's making empty noises and air quotes and then later seen what she was actually saying on paper and been amazed how much I thought it was bang in/insightful.

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The way some people feel about Atwood the person I feel about Moss -- just don't like watching her.

I think Atwood's earlier work is a lot more engrossing to read. It has a wicked sense of humor, which by the time of the dystopia attack beginning with Handmaid's Tale (which I thought absolutely right on the money and brilliant), went away. By far, even now, my favorite Atwood is The Robber Bride.

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I'm gonna poke all your eyes out. The Handmaid's Tale is one of the best novels of the 20th century and Margaret Atwood is one of the world's greatest living authors. Read all of her books you heathens! Also, I'm very excited about this new series. Any news on what's going on with the planned Oryx And Crake series?

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Watched the first episode with my bf. I have read the book, he has not. He kept asking me questions and I was like--you don't need to know!! Just watch! Also I read it a very long time ago so I don't remember very much of the plot at all. The first episode was all about establishing the world and Offred, and it felt a little flat to me. I'll definitely keep watching and hope it improves as the necessary intro stuff is out of the way.